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On the left we now catch a glimpse of the picturesque Ponte Nomentano, by which the Via Nomentana crosses the Anio. Then the railway ascends the edge of the Esquiline. Below, on the left, we see the ancient Basilica and the modern cemetery of S. Lorenzo. Then we reach the Aure

lian Walls and enter Rome close to the Porta Maggiore.

CHAPTER XXVI.

PERUGIA AND ASSISI.

It is 1 hour by rail from Cortona to Perugia, changing trains at the next station of Terontola (4 frs. 40 c. ; 3 frs. 15 c.).

SOON

:

OON after leaving Camuccia, the railway begins to skirt the Lake of Thrasymene. Even when seen in this way it produces an impression different from that of all other lakes it has a soft, still beauty especially its own. Upon the vast expanse of shallow pale-green waters, surrounded by low-lying hills, storms have scarcely any effect, and the birds which float over it, and the fishing-boats which skim across its surface, are reflected as in a mirror. At Passignano and Torricella, picturesque villages, chiefly occupied by fishermen, jut out into the water, but otherwise the

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reedy shore is perfectly desolate on this side, though, beyond the lake, convents and villages crown the hills which rise between us and the pale violet mountains beyond Montepulciano. In regarding this peaceful scene, and reading of the battle of B.C. 217, in which 15,000 Romans perished, one may well exclaim :

'Is this the spot where Rome's eternal foe
Into his snares the mighty legions drew,
Whence from the carnage, spiritless and few,
A remnant scarcely reached her gates of woe?

Is this the stream, thus gliding soft and slow,
That, from the gushing wounds of thousands, grew
So fierce a flood, that waves of crimson hue
Rushed on the bosom of the lake below?
The mountains that gave back the battle-cry
Are silent now ;-perchance yon hillocks green
Mark where the bones of those old warriors lie!
Heaven never gladdened a more peaceful scene;
Never left softer breeze a fairer sky
To sport upon thy waters, Thrasymene.'

Charles Strong.

'The mountains stand about the quiet lake,
That not a breath its azure calm may break;
No leaf of these sere olive trees is stirred,
In the near silence far-off sounds are heard.
The tiny bat is flitting overhead,

The hawthorn doth its richest odours shed
Into the dewy air; and over all

Veil after veil the evening shadows fall,

And one by one withdraw each glimmering height,
The far, and then the nearer, from our sight-

No sign surviving in this tranquil scene,

That strife and savage tumult here have been.'

Archbishop Trench.

The strip of land between the hills and the lake which the railway passes through was the actual scene of the slaughter. No one will grudge reading the vivid description of Arnold on the spot.

'The consul (C. Flaminius) had encamped in the evening on the side of the lake, on the Tuscan side of Passignano: he had made a forced march, and had arrived at his position so late that he could not examine the ground before him. Early the next morning he set forward again; the morning mist hung thickly over the lake and the low grounds, leaving the heights, as is often the case, quite clear Flaminius, anxious to overtake his enemy, rejoiced in the friendly veil which thus concealed his advance, and hoped to fall upon Hannibal's army while it was still in marching order, and its columns encumbered with the plunder of the valley of the Arno. He passed through the defile of Passignano, and found no enemy: this confirmed him in his belief that Hannibal did not mean to fight. Already the Numidian

cavalry were on the edge of the basin of the Tiber: unless he could overtake them speedily, they would have reached the plain; and Africans, Spaniards, and Gauls, would be rioting in the devastation of

the garden of Italy. So the consul rejoiced as the heads of his columns emerged from the defile, and, turning to the left, began to ascend the hills, where he hoped at least to find the rear-guard of the enemy.

'At this moment the stillness of the mist was broken by barbarian war-cries on every side; and both flanks of the Roman column were assailed at once. Their right was overwhelmed by a storm of javelins and arrows, shot as if from the midst of darkness, and striking into the soldier's unguarded side, where he had no shield to cover him; while ponderous stones, against which no shield or helmet could avail, came crashing down upon their heads. On the left were heard the trampling of horse, and the well-known war-cries of the Gauls; and presently Hannibal's dreaded cavalry emerged from the mist, and were in an instant in the midst of their ranks; and the huge forms of the Gauls and their vast broad swords broke in upon them at the same moment. The head of the Roman column, which was already ascending to the higher ground, found its advance also barred; for here was the enemy whom they had so longed to overtake; here were some of the Spanish and African foot of Hannibal's army drawn up to await the assault. The Romans instantly attacked these troops, and cut their way through; these must be the covering parties, they thought, of Hannibal's main battle; and eager to bring the contest to a decisive issue, they pushed forward up the heights, not doubting that on the summit they should find the whole force of the enemy. And now they were on top of the ridge, and to their astonishment no enemy was there; but the mist drew up, and, as they looked behind, they saw too plainly where Hannibal was; the whole valley was one scene of carnage, while on the sides of the hills above were the masses of the Spanish and African foot witnessing the destruction of the Roman army, which had scarcely cost them a single stroke.

'The advanced troops of the Roman column had thus escaped the slaughter; but being too few to retrieve the day, they continued their advance, which was now become a flight, and took refuge in one of the neighbouring villages. Meantime, while the centre of the army was cut to pieces in the valley, the rear was still winding through the defile beyond, between the cliffs and the lake. But they, too, were attacked from the heights above by the Gauls, and forced in confusion into the water. Some of the soldiers in desperation struck out into the deep water swimming, and weighed down by their armour presently sank; others ran in as far as was within their depth, and then stood helplessly till the enemy's cavalry dashed in after them. Then they lifted up their hands and cried for quarter: but on this day of sacrifice, the gods of Carthage were not to be defrauded of a single victim.

Thus, with the exception of the advanced troops of the Roman column, who were about 6,000 men, the rest of the army was utterly destroyed. The consul himself had seen the wreck consummated. On

finding himself surrounded, he had vainly endeavoured to form his men amidst the confusion, and to offer some regular resistance: when this was hopeless, he continued to do his duty as a brave soldier, till one of the Gaulish horsemen, who is said to have known him by sight from his former consulship, rode up and ran him through the body with his lance, crying out, "So perish the man who slaughtered our brethren, and robbed us of the lands of our fathers."'-' History of Rome,' vol. iii.

'Far other scene is Thrasymene now;

Her lake a sheet of silver, and her plain
Rent by no ravage save the gentle plough;
Her aged trees rise thick as once the slain

Lay where their roots are; but a brook hath ta'en

A little rill of scanty stream and bed

A name of blood from that day's sanguine rain;

And Sanguinetto tells ye where the dead

Made the earth wet, and turned the unwilling waters red.'

Byron, Childe Harold.

The lake of Thrasymene is of rounded form, being about twenty-six miles in circumference and seven miles broad. There is a project for draining it (!), happily in abeyance, in consequence of the enormous cost and small profit of draining the Lago Fucino, and the unhealthiness it has engendered. Artists will find charming subjects in the neighbourhood of Passignano, but they will do well to go thither for the day from Perugia; for the inn will scarcely be found endurable as to lodging, though it will supply a luncheon of eels or carp-' Reina del Lago.'

There are three islands on the lake: Isola Polvese, most to the south, which is inhabited; Isola Minore, which is quite desolate; and Isola Maggiore, at the northern side, where there is an Olivetan Convent, and which is connected with the story of S. Francis.

'S. Francis was inspired to go and pass the time of Lent in an island on the lake, and begged a friend, out of love to God, to conduct him in his boat to an island uninhabited by man, and to take him there in the night of Ash Wednesday, so that none might know where he The friend, out of the great devotion he bore to S. Francis, granted his request, and conducted him to the desert island. S. Francis took nought with him but two small loaves. When they had reached

was.

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